


Diego, Learning

by siriuspiggyback



Series: Closer I Am To Fine [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Anger Management, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, No Apocalypse (Umbrella Academy), No Incest, Personal Growth, Sibling Bonding, each fic in the series can stand alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuspiggyback/pseuds/siriuspiggyback
Summary: Anger has always been easy for Diego. The thing is, he's tired of being angry. He's just not sure that he can stop.Or,Diego is twenty-nine years old, and he's only now learning to be a brother.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Diego Hargreeves
Series: Closer I Am To Fine [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681714
Comments: 32
Kudos: 412





	Diego, Learning

**Author's Note:**

> the response on the luther fic was awesome, so here's the next instalment!

Anger has always been easy for Diego.

Maybe once upon a time, it wasn't like that, but for as long as Diego can remember, anger has always been natural to him. He ran hot. Diego has a lot to be angry about, and it is like kerosene in his blood, just waiting for ignition.

That's not to say that Diego _likes_ being angry. His anger has ruined good things in the past, and will probably continue to do so, burning the people close until they leap back to safety. He knows it would be better if he wasn't angry, but that's not enough to stop feeling it, is it? He's not even sure why, except that between hurt and rage, he will choose rage every time. Every time.

The thing is-

The thing is, Diego is tired of being angry. He's just not sure that he can stop.

He's done all the right things. He goes to the gym daily, trying to let off some steam, pounding his fists against the punching bag. He's stopped the vigilante shit that Patch always hated, stopped starting fights everywhere he went. He's even tried to make amends with his siblings. Apologies are hard, and they always came out stilted and strange, but he has tried all the same.

Allison finds him pacing the living room, hands itching to throw a punch, and he had to bite down on a scathing comment that she should stick to mothering her own child, because when she looked at him with that pity it made him want to scream.

"Maybe you should go, I don't know, work out or something. A healthy outlet," she suggests.

He rolls his eyes. "Thanks for the advice, never would have thought of that," he spits.

She holds her hands up. "Jesus, sorry for trying to help."

Shit. He lets out a carefully controlled breath, and says, "Sorry. I just mean, already tried that."

"It's alright," she says easily, quick to forgive. She hesitates, taking a step closer. "You ever think that maybe you're so angry because you never got the chance to yell at who you're really mad at?"

He drolls, "And who's that?"

"Dad," she says, unflinching.

Diego sucks in a breath. He folds his arms and says tightly, "It's a bit too late for that."

She hums. "Just a thought," she says lightly.

Later that day, Diego finds himself knocking on his brother's door, despite it being cracked open. He's seen Klaus half naked too many times. 

"Mi hermano!" cries Klaus, throwing the door open. 

"Hey," Diego says, uncomfortable in the face of his exuberance. "Listen, I need a favour."

His eyebrows shoot up. "From little ol' me?"

Diego shifts his weight. "You're sober now, right?"

Klaus pouts. "Unfortunately."

"I need you to conjure dad."

His brother winces, which- yeah, that's fair, but also not a good sign for Diego's chances. "Mm, no can do."

He should leave it there. He knows that he should have it there, but he can't, so he asks, "Why not?"

"Because," Klaus whines, "it doesn't work like that!"

“Why not?” he snaps. “You did it before, right? During the apocalypse week?”

Klaus falters, mouth opening but not giving voice to any words. His eyes skate away, searching, and Diego knows that he’s about to evade the question. “Well, I spoke to him, technically, yes, but I can’t just- I just _can’t.”_

Eyes narrowed, Diego says, “What are you not saying?”

“Nothing,” Klaus said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. 

And that there is _definitely_ a lie, and Diego resists the urge to smack him over the head and tell him to spill it. “Fine. Whatever, bro,” he says in defeat, slamming the door shut after himself. 

Someone is behind him.

Diego startles hard, reaching for a knife on instinct before he registers who it is. “Jesus,” Diego says.

“No, just me,” Five deadpans, taking a sip of coffee.

“Eavesdropping, much?” Diego snarks, turning away.

“Wanted to have it out with dad, huh?” Five says nonchalantly.

He stops still. “So?”

“It’s not going to make you feel better,” Five tells him. 

“What do you know about it?” Diego questions hotly, whirling around.

Five shrugs. “I’m an old man. I know a thing or two about old grudges.”

Diego wipes a hand down his face. Somehow, he always forgets just how old Five is. He’s not sure that all those years in the apocalypse really count, but he has to give it to him: Five has a lot of experience with this. Begrudgingly, Diego asks, “What’s your advice, then?” 

“You’re going about it the wrong way, focusing on your anger. No matter how many hours you spend at the gym, beating on a punching bag, or hunting down criminals, it’s not going to make you any less angry.”

He tries not to get defensive, and fails. “Thanks, that’s real helpful.”

“What I’m _saying,_ is that you’ve got to find something peaceful. Something- the opposite of your anger,” Five explains. 

“Like what?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Five looks at him. “You asked for my help,” he says.

“Did I?” Diego asks vaguely, arms crossed as he looked at the huge compound through his windshield. 

“Come on, or we’ll be late,” says Five, disappearing in a flash of blue, rather than bothering to open the car door.

Diego wonders for a long, long moment whether he should just go home, but… what does he have to lose?

He follows Five inside.

The woman behind the front desk looks at Five with a stern gaze on her round face, ponytail bobbing behind her. “You’re late,” she says.

“I know,” Five replies. “My apologies.”

“It’s not me that you have to apologise to,” she says, eyes darting over to Diego. “Who’s this?”

“My brother,” Five says.

“Alright, you know the drill,” she says. “Go on in, he’s waiting for you. Find another one for your brother too, if you like.”

Five says, “Will do,” slipping through the door.

“Who’s waiting for you?” Diego asked, puzzled.

“You’ll see,” Five says distractedly. Then, coming to a stop, he says, voice uncharacteristically cheerful, “Hello, Mr. Pennycrumb.”

The dog - a tiny pug, shaking with excitement - barks in response.

“I know, I’m late,” Five sighs, opening the kennel cage and looping a lead on the dog's collar. “Had to bring this guy with me.”

Mr. Pennycrumb looks up at Diego and sniffs his leg. Diego stiffly says, “Hi.”

“Come on, let’s find a dog for you to walk,” Five says, checking the notes by each door. “No one too big - Mr. Pennycrumb is nervous around big dogs.”

Diego briefly entertains the idea that he’s dreaming. “Sure,” he says.

“This one will do,” Five says, opening another door, letting out a scruffy little terrier, who leaps out excitedly. “Her name is Daisy.”

“Great,” Diego says, stilted, attempting to hook the lead onto Daisy’s collar, despite the way she bucks up to greet him as he approaches. He doesn’t dislike dogs. He just doesn’t really have any _experience_ with dogs. Especially with little tiny dogs that he could easily step on by accident.

“I don’t think you’re really getting the point of the _walking_ part,” Five says. Diego blinks up at him. He’s already down the corridor, opening up a door to the outdoors, green grass peaking through, the air warm with spring sunshine.

Diego looks down at Daisy. Daisy looks back, earnest, trusting. “Want to go for a walk?” he asks her.

Her tail wags. He takes it as a yes. 

Forty minutes later, the dogs are back in the kennels, and they’re leaving. The woman at the reception desk peers up at them from behind a thick romance novel, and says, “Same time tomorrow, Five?”

Five nods. “As always.”

Eyebrows raised, Diego says, “You do this every day?”

“Mr. Pennycrumb misses me if I don’t,” Five replies, a touch defensively, as they step outside.

Diego considers this. “Why don’t you just… adopt him?”

“Why don’t you just mind your own business,” Five snaps.

“Alright,” says Diego patiently. “Just asking.”

A sigh. “Look, I thought about, alright? I just- I don’t have a lot of practice with… looking after anyone. Well, anyone other than myself.”

They come to a stop at the car. Diego leans against it, hesitant to get in and spoil the moment. “That’s not true. You watched out for the rest of us as kids, in your own weird way. Especially Vanya, and-”

“Ben?” Five guesses dryly. “Sure, stellar job I did there.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Diego says fiercely. “And you’re not leaving us again. Right?”

Five looks at him for a moment, his face awfully pale and awfully young. “No. I’m staying this time,” he says eventually.

“Right. So why the fuck aren’t you adopting this dog?”

Half an hour later, they introduce Mr. Pennycrumb to his new home. Diego smiles the whole goddamn time. Maybe Five is right, because he hasn’t been ruminating on his rage issues all day, and right now, Diego is as close to peace as he’s ever been.


End file.
